Even the post office can't be trusted anymore
- Guy
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
Have you been waiting for a check to arrive in the mail? It may have been diverted by a U.S. postal employee.
Kierra Blount, 35, who worked a the Stamford Post Office, has pleaded guilty here to stealing checks. Blount and others opened a bank account using the name and social security number of an identity theft victim. She along with co-conspirators stole the checks, changed the payee names on the checks, signed them and deposited them into the fraudulent account. From November 2021 until April 2022, Blount deposited $156,000 of stolen checks into the fake bank account.
A search of Blount's Stamford residence in June of 2023 found a significant amount of stolen mail, debit cards in other peoples' names, more than 400 checks worth $285,000 and personal information of individuals with birth, home addresses, email addresses and security question and answers.
Blount was charged and released in June 2024. She later ran from police and failed to show up for a state court appearance. She had false license plates on her car, fled police at high speeds, and changed her license plates after she fled.
In a home search, police found multiple phones in her home. The phones had shared videos with co-conspirators on the Telegram app showing bags filled with stolen mail. One of the phones contained images of checks totaling $980,000. A second phone had images of checks totaling $888,000. Police also found a ghost gun.
Mail theft check fraud has been on the rise as internet savvy criminals obtain checks by stealing mail from residential or USPS collection mailboxes or rely on bribery/collusion of USPS employees. The criminals use chemicals to change the payee name and amount fields, a process called "check-washing". Often the checks are re-written for smaller amounts making them harder to detect. They deposit checks using an ATM or remote deposit capture to avoid human contact.
Between the Lines: If the post office can't be trusted with your mail, are we still ok with mail-in voting?